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@mangeurs 323mm @trim zeaefpafem NoI 82,770, @tarea 00am 6,1868,

IMPROVEMENT I HAY-RAKBRS AND LOADERS.'

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EO ALL WHOM IT MAY- C'ONCERN:

Be it known that I, LESTER UNDEnwooD, ofjOttawa, in the county of La Salle, in the State of Illinois, have invented a new and imp roved Combined Hay-Baking and Hay-Loading Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon. l

The nature of my invention consists in providing a horse-rake with teeth of an improved construction, to the c'ect that said teeth, when they meet an obstruction on the ground, such as a stone, which is often lthe case, the tooth meeting such an obstruction will, by contact with it, raise itself, and thus pass over, to fall in its original position afterwards.

My invention further consists in improving the ordinary hayloader, in such -a. manner that it can he operated entirely from the wagon on which the hay is being loaded, the attendant never beingrequired to come down for such purposes as disengaging the-rakes, lifting the rakes, or unhitching the machine when the wagonis full,

thus producing arsaving oil` labor and time.

My invention further consists in providing a clevis, wherewith to hitch the'machine to the wagon, inplacc of a chain, said clevis being bolted to the hind axle-tree of the wagon, without perforating or otherwise weakening the saine. l

My invention also consists in so constructing the hay-loader that, byrernoving the revolving teeth andthe elevator, a simple horse-rake is obtained, to gather the hay in windrows on the eld, if desired.

'lo enable others skilled in the art to make and use my'inventio'n, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct a truck, A, on two wheels, in the ordinary form adopted for horse-rakes, while, also, 'I have the common form of elevator, B, attached to it, consisting of a framework, a, standards b b, revolving teeth c, cndless slotted apron d, and chains c c, to transmit motion to the pulleysff from the wheels gg. Two adjustable standards, 7L 7i., have, at their lower ends, plates, with several holes, through which a. pin or bolt fastens them to the truck A. Through the other end ot' said standards -t 7L passes a bolt, z', the whole breadth ofthe machine, and on this bolt z' are hung Amy improved rake-teeth@ C C, a separate plane view and section of which are shown in Figures 5 and 6. These teeth C C C' are constructed of a piece of timber, j, figs. 5 and 6, having, at a hole, through which passes the bolt z', and on which the tooth swings up and down. A rail ofhard wood, Z, constituting the tooth proper, passes through a mortise in the end of the timberj. It is rounded'at Ythe lower end in such n. manner that thc foremost point is not the `nearest to the earth, for the purpose of enabling the tooth to clear smallobstructions with great ease. The rail thas, at its upper end, a pin, m, which moves in a slotted cap, n. Towards the middle of the rail lis adapted a rod or brace, o, which is hinged to the rail Zby one end, while the other end passes through the timber j, the hole being bnshed with metal on both sides, to prevent rapid wearing of the hole. Two springs, 7J and q, keep the tooth Zin its natural position as long as no obstruction is met, while, as soon as the tooth Zstrikes an obstruction, one or more teeth become engaged, pushing the latter against the cross-bar r, which has, for eli'ect, to depress the springp, and to raise the lower end of the tooth lf' this should not be sufficient to clear the obstruction, the Whole series of teeth will be raised by the cross-bar r, until the obstruction is passed over, when they fallback in their original position. If the obstruction is only a slight one, it will engage under the rounding port of the tooth .1, and have, for eil`ect,`to depress tho spring g, thus raising the tooth to a. certain extent, 'and allowing it t0 fall back when the obstruction is passed.

It is seen that, by this arrangement, each tooth has an upward arid downward motion, independent of the other teeth, thus enabling the rake to he used on unequal ground, each tooth remaining close to the soil.

The cross-bar r is fastened to the beams s s, which swing on the bolt z', the upper and forward end sliding in a guide along the standards b b. These guides or standards b b have a series of holes, through which pins are inserted, in order to adjust the position of the cross-bar r in its relation to the teeth of the rake. The

beams s s are further provided with two sets of ropes, t t and u u. The former pass around pulleys at the lower end of the standards b b, then up and through two rings fastened at the upper end of the elevator. When it is desired to pass over a certain piece of ground without gathering the hay from it, orto deposit the hay in windrows, the attendant on the wagon pulls said ropes t t, thus raising the teeth to any desired extent. 'The ropes u u passl through rings at the upper end ofthe standards b l), and thence through rings at the upper end of the elevator. When it is desired to slightly raise the rake, on account of difference of ground, or for any other reason, the attendant pulls the ropes u u, and, by letting gently go, the braces v u fall to the extent of-a slot in their upper end, thus holding the rake in a more elevated position. The brac-es o v have also, at their lower ends, a series of holes, in order to adjust the position of the rake before starting.

The two pulleys are provided each with a ratchet and p'awl, as shown in Figure 7, in order to enable the machine to rake and .elevate the hay while turning a curve. and the foremost end of the tongue y, I adapt a supporter, z, holes through which to insert a pin,-is very convenient to hold the m use. This supporter z is hinged to the tongue y, in order to ena spring a pushing it forward again after the obstruction is passed.

At the forward end of the tongue y'is attached a loop, b, which is also made adjustable by having in its central part a bolt, on which to swing up and down, while the back end can be fastened in either of two holes bored through the tongue y.

As a part of this machine, and to facilitate its use,

which, being adjustable, by having a series of achine in an upright position when not in I have invented the clevis D, clearly shown in Figures At a distance about half between the wheels y` ble it to give way before an obstruction, the.

1 and 2. This clevis is fastened tothe hind axletree of a wagon, and the raking and loading-machine is coupled to it by means of a pin, c', which passes through holes in the clevis D, and through the loop 12"', while, at the same time, a rope is fastened to the pin c', in order to enable the attendant to pull out saidpin c from the'top of' the wagon when full, leaving the machine stand on the ield until his return with an` empty wagon.

When it is desired to transform'the machine into a simple horse-rake, the parts a, b b, d, e e, ff, constituting the elevating-apparatus, are removed. The ropes t t are fastened to the grooved pulleys d on the shaft e', said shaft e having keyed on it a-toothed wheel, f', which engages with a. segment of a toothed' wheel, g', to which 'is attached the lever h. The attendant, 'sitting on the seat i', can, in this case, raise the teeth of the rake by pulling towards him the lever h', which has, for eect, to rotate the shaft e and groovod4 pulleys d d', and, as the ropes t t Wind around the pulleys d d', the beams s sare made to swingon the bolt z', and thus the teeth of the rake are raised to any desiredY extent, in order to deposit the-hay in windrows. The same opera.- tion can be performed `by the operator pressing the stirrup 7c with his foot, thus giving him the free use of both his hands. I i A i What I claim asmy invention, and desire tc-secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The arrangement of the ropes tt and. u u, in combination with the standards 7L h and braces o v, substantially as described, and for the purpose of enabling the machine to be used from the wagon.

2. The clevis D and pin c', with rope attached, in combination with the loop In', substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The peculiar arrangement of the shaft e', grooved pulleys d d', wheelf, lever L, and stirrup k', in combination with the `rakes C C C, substantially as and for the purpose described in the feregoingspecication.

LESTER UNDERWOOD.

Witnesses:

E. Rosa, H. R. MIXER. 

